Rating: 
Summary: Still a great physiology book for medical students.
Review: Guyton remains one of the best physiology books for the medical student with its clear elucidation of fundamental physiological concepts and its pathophysiological correlations.I want to address some of the criticisms of this book. One reviewer claims that it is missing trivia that professors love like the so called ENaC channels. Well, it does mention these channels on pg 304 as the special channels through which sodium diffuses into P-cells. Any medical student who has studied pharmacology or medicine knows that these are the channels that are inhibited by potassium sparing diuretics (amiloride and triamterine). Till recently they were called amiloride inhibitible sodium channels. Since they are found on other epithelial cells, they are now called ENaCs (epithelial sodium channels). There may be many more such trivial points you may find missing in Guyton, but if it is physiology you want to learn (rather than get into trivial pursuit) this is the book for you. No book is perfect and no book can contain EVERY single detail. Even Ganong, while being a very good book is lacking in the explanation of many fundamental concepts which it states but does not explain, for example it just tells you that high protein diets raise the GFR, but only Guyton tells you why. The chapters on cells and immunity etc could use updating, but these are topics covered in great detail in other courses--cell bio, molecular bio, biochem, immunology. Another criticism is about lack of diagrams. I found that the diagrams in the book were of a functional nature--good enough to explain the concepts being discussed. If it is comic books you are looking for, buy an atlas. Thirdly, the so called verbiosity. Yes, the explanations are detailed, but many first time readers would find that a positive point. It is hardly physiology for dummies. In conclusion, although all the above criticisms are justified to an extent, if you want to learn the hows and whys of physiology, Guyton still remains a good book that covers pretty much everything a med student needs to know for physiology for courses and the usmle.
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Summary: Overall Best and most Complete Physiology Book
Review: Guyton-Hall have made an useful tool for all people (not just M.D, physiologist,etc) It's hard to believe how easily is explained the information of this book, handling a VERY solid basis for further courses on patology, adv. physiology, or else, Great work, easy to read, by far the best of the 4 physilogy handbooks i have alreade read, a MUST for students as well for the updates in science.
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Summary: The BEST Medical Physiology Texbook ever!
Review: I advise every medical student to read from this great book. It might be time-consuming, but believe me once you read the beginning of any chapter, you still want to read it till you finish it! What makes reading even more interesting is the clinical relevance presented at the end of each chapter, which makes you understand the mechanism of a disease. Its biggest drawback is its lack of enough diagrams and illustrations, which if present are still poor, compared to other illustrated physiology books.
Rating: 
Summary: being non-concise makes it an easy reader
Review: I agree with the previous review that this book is quite long and is not at all concise. Concepts repeat themselves everywhere. However, not all students are so bright that they can remember everything in just one go. I am a medical student myself, and I find it frustrating to not being able to understand some important concepts in the later part of a course just because no one reminded me of one or two simple things taught before that I have forgotten. Te secret of the Guyton lies here. Information is repeated continuously, so giving the book consistency throughout the text, as it travels through different areas of physiology. The secret of its lucid explanations lies here too: Guyton likes to hear himself talk. Remember, THIS BOOK IS RECITED. Guyton couldn't write! That's why his text is so similar to a teacher with a voice. You are reading his lecture scripts.
Anyway, I love the book for its explanations where every concept is explained from the very first principles, even though they were taught before in just the page before.
Yes, it is quite a physiology for dummies, but there isn't a lot of students who are not dummies. Being a "dummy" does not mean you are stupid, a "dummy" is just a person who can't memorise and digest everything in one go and needs some reminders here and there to facilitate learning. If you've got a camera memory, don't get this book, or you will feel bored.
However, it's really a long text, so I read it as if it's a leisure book and memorize as much as I can. Don't push yourself!
Rating:
Summary: easy reading compared to berne and levy
Review: I am a first year medical student and I find this particular physiology book easy to work with. Although Berne and Levy may be more detailed, Guyton's explanations are uncomplicated and simple. It basically covers everything in physiology and it has been a big help in problem based learning since a lot of different topics are integrated.
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Summary: guyton is the best book for a begginer
Review: i am a first year student,and i think that no one else has made physiology as simple as guyton;hats off to the authors
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Summary: 5 stars if Guyton would just illustrate better....
Review: I am a Nurse Anesthesia Student who took a lot of physiology as an undergraduate psychology/biology major. Guyton does a marvelous job of explaining human physiology, once you become acustom to his prose. The best possible combination is Guyton's detailed and unterstandable explainations with Elaine Marieb's diagrams from "Human Anatomy and Physiology". Marieb's book is aimed at the undergraduate and is the A+P book I had in my RN program, so the information is, naturally, not as detailed but the diagrams are great. I know it would make an even more expensive book, but bigger diagrams that use more than just red and black for colors would greatly enhance Guyton's already excellent work.
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Summary: Thanks to Guyton+Hall's heavenly generosity
Review: I am not a professional in medics. But I am a curious traveller. I would like to bestow my special thanks upon one of the best gifts of the heavenly wit-Mr Guyton and Mr Hall. I will carry it by myself through the rest of my life, however heavy it is... I strongly recommend you to read it today...
Rating: 
Summary: Why do supervisors ecommend this book
Review: I have heard Guyton described as a "fine work of English prose". I must say I disagree. I have found that it is difficult to use, that it fails to go into enough depth as a reference yet goes into too much depth as a revision work. The diagrams are poor, the pages flimsy (and in my edition in the wrong order!), and it is just far too heavy to carry around. The physiology focuses more on obscure subjects and hardly at all on the essentials. I have hardly used this in my first year as a medical student and am unlikely to start soon.
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Summary: essential to understand anything
Review: I learn in polish, but out of mamy (!) textbooks avaible in poland I can't find the easier to read one, even for those, who don't read english evry fluent. It's outstanding - a piece of art put into simple textbook. Guyton is GREAT! thank You, Arthur...
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